Until The End
by tong-hua-lah
Summary: Draco knew in his heart that he loved Hermione, he always had. The problem was getting his mind to accept what his heart already knew. Dramione.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone :) This is my first attempt at a Dramione fanfic so I hope you like it! :)  
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She had been preparing for the perfect moment for weeks now, only to have it ruined by another girl. He had stood a short distance away from her, but the distance still proved to be too much. She replayed the moment in her head, wishing for things she could've said or done in order to change the outcome. But, it was too late. A mere hour ago, she had been about to confess to a certain red-headed boy, until her chance was snatched up by none other than Lavender Brown. Standing in what seemed to be an empty corridor, she allowed the tears to stream down her face and the sobs to escape from her dry throat. Drowning in her own sorrow, she had failed to hear the tapping of shoes that grew closer and closer to her.

"Granger?" the voice asked, cautiously.

Surprised that she was not alone, she quickly dried her tears and swiveled her head around to face the voice. A boy with whitish-blonde hair stood before her, his eyebrows knitted together in concern. "What do you want Malfoy?" Hermione asked hoarsely, frowning at the boy.

"Aww is the little Mudblood upset?" He replied, masking his concern with a tone of mockery.

"Shut up."

"Can't have anything to do with the fact that Ron and Lavender are snogging, can it?"

"I said, shut up."

"You know, I think they've been going at it now for a full ten minutes."

Hermione had had enough; she raised her hand and smacked him, the sound echoing off the walls. "Piss off Malfoy," she said bitterly, marching off with tears still cascading down her face.

Draco raised his hand to his cheek and touched it, as he felt the sting spread throughout his face. _"Good one Draco," _he thought to himself, rubbing his face in an attempt to soothe the pain, _"Whatever happened to good old-fashioned 'Are you ok?' A simple 'What's wrong?' would've sufficed. Curse my rude tendencies." _He slunk back down the corridor to the Slytherin dormitory, his cheek still stinging.

Back in the Gryffindor common room, Hermione sat on the couch, her head resting on Harry's shoulder. "I ran into Malfoy earlier," she said slowly, waiting for Harry to react.

"What?" he jumped up, causing Hermione's head to drop onto the cushions, "What'd he say to you?"

"Nothing, really. He just…," she struggled to find the words, "He was just being the rude prick he normally is."

"Did he mention Ron and Lavender?"

"Yes," she felt her heart ache as she recalled the memory.

Harry sat down and wrapped his arms around her, comforting her. "Ron doesn't know what he's missing. He's made a huge mistake passing you up."

She smiled at him and they both sat there for a moment, letting the silence fill the room before Hermione spoke again, "I suppose I waited too long. He was only a few steps away, but she still got to him first. I missed my chance. Not that I had much of a chance in the first place…Who would ever fancy me anyways?"

"Don't say that."

"It's true though."

"No it's not," Harry looked at her, his eyes daring her to contradict what he was about to say, "You're beautiful and you're extremely smart. You've got the beauty and the brains, any man would be lucky to have you. Just because Ron can't see that, doesn't mean you're not. He's blind. Someday, you'll find a man who can clearly see you for the beautiful woman you are."

"You really think so?" she asked, doubting the truth in his words.

"Of course! I know so."

She smiled and reached up to kiss his cheek, "Thank you Harry. I appreciate it, I really do. Ginny's lucky to have such a wonderful boyfriend." Then she got up and turned to leave, her eyes swinging back to look at him once more. "Goodnight Harry."

"Goodnight Hermione."

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**Hey guys, sorry it's short. I just wanted to give y'all a good idea of the setting and the relationships between everyone before I started getting into the story. So anyways, I hope you guys liked it (Review, Por Favor!) And I will update the next chapter ASAP :) **


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! So I figured I'd put up another chapter since the first one was really short. Anyways, hope y'all like it :)**

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Draco awoke the next morning, his cheek still stinging with pain. He groaned and rolled out of the bed. As his feet touched the ground, he reached down and pulled up his cloak and clean clothing from his bag. Slowly, he walked out of the room and headed for the showers. After washing, he examined his cheek. It was red and had the slight imprint of a hand. If one were to glance at him it would seem as though he was blushing with one cheek. He rubbed it again in an attempt to get rid of the red mark, but it remained. In the next corridor, a girl stood, her back to him. Her hair cascaded down her back, and the light flowing in from the window created a sort of halo around her head. She turned toward the direction of the footsteps and was surprised to see Draco Malfoy standing a few feet away from her. "Malfoy?" she asked, her surprise evident in her voice, "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," he replied.

"I was taking a shower."

"As was I," he walked closer to her, allowing the light to shine brighter upon his face. The light enhanced his features, emphasizing his pale skin and the flaming red mark set upon his right cheek. "Look what you did," he said, pointing to his cheek.

"You deserved it," she answered, only feeling slightly guilty for the red mark she had produced.

"How so?"

"You know! It's completely unnecessary for you to be asking how so."

A smirk crept onto his face, "Ah yes, but I seem to have forgotten. Would you be so kind as to refresh my memory?"

She grimaced, "You were taunting me with your impudent remarks."

"Yes…But what exactly was I taunting you about?"

"Is that really necessary?"

"Is what really necessary?" he asked, faking a tone of innocence.

"Don't play dumb Malfoy."

"But I really have absolutely no idea!"

"You were talking about Ron and…" she paused, "Lavender."

He nodded at her as if to say, "Go on."

"And their public displays of affection."

He snapped his fingers together as though he had suddenly remembered, "That's it! I remember now! They were going at it for a really long time! What was it again? Ten minutes?"

"Would you like another red mark on your face? Perhaps on the other cheek?" she snapped back, irritated.

Quickly, his hands flew up, covering both cheeks.

"What is wrong with you? Do you really enjoy seeing everyone else's pain? Does it really make you feel that much better to see me cry? Is that it? Is that why you're such a rude prick?" She was breathing heavily now, her eyes brimming with tears. Silently, she turned on her heel and began to walk back.

"No," Draco whispered.

She whirled around, "Excuse me?" her eyebrows raised in question.

"No…Tha-That's not it," he stuttered.

"Then what is it?"

"I…I don't…I don't know," he swallowed, unable to find the words. How could he explain it to her if he himself did not understand?

"If you don't know, then your words have no meaning."

"I'm sorry."

"Clearly, you are not," she turned and walked back to the dormitory.

Draco watched as her silhouette grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared completely. "I'm sorry," he whispered to no one, "I really am." Then he turned, and returned to his dormitory.

When breakfast came around, Draco ate in silence, glancing every so often at Hermione. "What're you looking at?" Blaise asked, elbowing him to get his attention.

"Nothing," Draco answered quickly, "Nothing at all."

He laughed, "Really? It looked to me as though you were checking out Hermione Granger. I didn't know you had a thing for ugly girls."

Draco grimaced, then forced a smirk upon his face, "Of course not Blaise, you've got be joking! I was just noticing the red marks underneath her eyes; looks as though she's been crying. What do you want to bet that she was crying over Ron now that he and Lavender are an item?" He heard Blaise laugh, and he relaxed.

At Gryffindor's table, tension hung in the air above Harry, Ron, and Hermione's heads. Now that Ron and Lavender had become an item, she had decided to sit with them. Every few seconds, she would giggle and call Ron, "Won-won." She refused to let him feed himself, so Hermione was forced to watch as she fed bits and pieces of food into his mouth. Hermione felt as though she were going to barf. Harry looked up at her and gave her a reassuring smile. She smiled back, although her smile never reached her eyes. With two couples sitting beside her, she felt even more alone. She glanced up and saw Draco Malfoy staring at her. _"What is he looking me for?" _she thought to herself as he quickly looked away. She recalled their conversation earlier and made a face. _"Arrogant little prick," _she thought, glaring at him. The people seated around her began to stand. Hermione stood with them and together they walked to class.

Fortunately, she had managed to avoid Draco for most of the day, until she walked into her Potions class. As she sat down, Professor Slughorn began to speak. "Now, the next project we will begin working on is much harder than any that you have done before. Therefore, I will split you into pairs, and the two of you will be graded as a whole. The pairings will be chosen at random, so I do not want to hear any complaints." He stuck his hand into a basket and pulled out two pieces of paper. From the paper, he read off the names that appeared on it, and that determined the pairings. When Hermione heard her name she crossed her fingers, hoping to be paired with Harry or Ron. "Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy," Slughorn read from the paper. A groan could be heard from both of them, and Hermione felt disappointment set in. She walked over and sat next to him, looking in the completely opposite direction.

"This should be interesting," Draco commented, watching her expression.

Hermione took in a deep breath and turned to face him, "I would like to get this over with as soon as possible. There will be no fooling around. The sooner we finish the better."

Draco shrugged and reached over to grab his things. Hermione did the same and they both left the room without looking at the other.

When she had left, Ron approached her, "Good luck. It must really suck to be paired with Malfoy."

"I'll do my best."

"If you need me to take a few swings at that cocky face of his, I will," Ron said as he swung his arm up, as though punching the air.

Hermione laughed, glad to have a moment with him before Lavender called for her "won-won" to join her.

As night settled in, Hermione and Draco lay in separate beds each anticipating the weeks that lay ahead of them.

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**Hope you guys liked it! Reviews would be greatly appreciated :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! Thank you so much for all the reviews and story alerts and story favorites and everything! :) So here it is! The next chapter :D  
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Hermione went through the day, dreading the coming evening. She and Draco had made plans to get started on their project that night. After dinner had finished, she whispered a quick goodbye to Harry and Ron before rushing off to the library. Seeing that Draco had not yet arrived, she grabbed a few books and sat down, skimming through the pages while she waited. After a good thirty minutes had passed, Hermione finally heard Draco come in.

"I thought we said we were meeting at seven?" she remarked irritably, "It's already 7:30. You're late."

"Stop nagging," he snapped back, "You sound like my mother. But then again, my mother isn't quite as annoying as you."

"Well I would stop nagging if you would learn how to show up on time."

"Blah blah blah. Do you ever shut up?"

Her cheeks flushed and she glared at him, "Let's just get started."

Draco bit his lip as he watched her sit down, seething with anger at his retort. He really hadn't meant to say all that. It had just come right out."

"I'm sorry," he muttered under his breath, but Hermione continued reading as though she hadn't heard a thing. He cleared his throat, "I'm sorry."

She looked up at him, her annoyance shining brightly in her eyes, "What?"

"I said," he faltered for a moment and then spoke again, "I'm sorry. I can't help it. I don't be rude."

Hermione raised her eyebrow in confusion. Draco Malfoy was apologizing to her? The girl that he had gone out of his way to insult every second she had spent with him. "Um…It's alright…" she trailed off, feeling an awkward silence set in.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, flipping through the pages of their books. Draco continuously looked up as though he was going to say something, but never did. He wanted to find an excuse to say something to her, but could think of nothing.

"Malfoy?" she began, cautiously waiting for him to react, "I think I've found something." She scooted over to where he was and pointed to the page, reading out the words etched onto the paper.

Draco's breathing hitched as she moved closer to him, and the words that came out from her molded together, incomprehensible. She was sitting so close to him. Her body was pressed slightly against his, as she made an attempt to share the passage with him. He couldn't think straight, only managing a slight nod whenever it seemed appropriate.

"Malfoy? Are you listening to me?" she asked.

He swallowed and nodded, his voice barely a whisper, "Yes."

She felt uneasy, unused to conversing with him without sending an insult or glare his way. She watched him as he read the books, his platinum blonde hair falling into his face. She could feel the muscle in his arm press against her every time he took a breath, his chest rising and falling slowly. Suddenly, she became very aware of how close she was sitting to him. She didn't move as it seemed that Draco didn't seem to mind. From her chair, she could smell his shampoo as the wind blew over it, and along with it she caught a whiff of his cologne. Cologne? What was he doing wearing cologne? It was only the library. She sniffed again before speaking, "Malfoy…why are you wearing cologne?"

He flinched, she hadn't expected for her to be able to smell it, but then again he hadn't expected her to sit so close. "Why're you smelling me Granger?"

"I wasn't smelling you!" she exclaimed, looking as though she had been offended, "Who in their right mind would do that?"

"You were smelling me," he said in a matter-of-fact tone, "How else would you know that I am wearing cologne?"

"It's impossible not to smell it! You've put on so much!"

"I barely put any on!"

"Enough for me to smell it from here!"

"I can't help it if you're sitting so close to me!"

"That's besides the point!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Are we really doing this?"

"Yes."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Look Malfoy, I just asked you a simple question, no need to get so defensive."

"Alright, alright. I put on cologne because I like to smell nice. Girls like guys who smell good, do they not?"

"They do."

"Exactly. I smell good don't I?"

"Delicious," Oh God, Hermione thought to herself, I did not just say that. I did not just tell Draco Malfoy he smelled delicious.

Draco raised an eyebrow and smirked, "I smell delicious?"

She stuttered, searching to find her way out of the conversation, "No. You smell terrible. Awful, really."

He laughed, "You just said yourself that I smelled delicious. Make up your mind Granger."

"I did not say that."

"Yes you did."

"No I did not. I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."

He leaned in closer to her, and she could smell his cologne as it stretched out to her. "Really? You really have no idea what I'm talking about? You really don't think I smell delicious?" His face was a mere inch away from hers now, and she felt all her thoughts fly out the door. "Smell me again Granger. Tell me what you think."

She inhaled deeply and she answered him silently in her head. Yes, he certainly did smell delicious, and if he hadn't been Draco Malfoy, she would've kissed him right then and there. But the truth of the matter was that it was Draco Malfoy, and she would not be kissing him anytime soon. "You smell terrible," she scowled, holding her breath so that the smell of him would be unable to continue to tempt her.

He put his elbow on the table and leaned onto it, a playful grin arriving on his lips. "Awww," he faked disappointment as he snatched up a lock of her hair that lay on her shoulders. He smelled it and smiled, "You smell like strawberries," he licked his lips, "I love strawberries."

Hermione could feel herself beginning to cave in, so she did the first thing that came to mind, she ran. Quickly, she darted out of the room, escaping his presence, and she could feel her thoughts return to her mind. What just happened? She thought to herself as she walked back to the Gryffindor Common Room. For a moment there, she had almost fallen for him and his tricks. He's not that bad though, she thought, he's actually very attractive. She gasped, surprised at the thought. Slowly, she approached her bed and collapsed onto it. The only reason she was having these thoughts was because it was very late and she was tired. At least, that's what she hoped was the reason.

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**Thanks for reading :) I hope you liked it! Reviews would be appreciated! Also, if there are any mistakes, I apologize. It's really late, but I wanted to get this chapter up.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello again! Thanks to everyone who left a review or added my story to story alert or added it to their favorites! I appreciate it very much :D Anyways, here's the next chapter I hope y'all like it!**

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Draco awoke the next morning feeling extremely pleased with himself. He though back to the previous night and chuckled as he recalled the image of Hermione running out as fast as she could. She's so cute when she's embarrassed, he thought to himself before realized what he was thinking. Cute? Since when was Granger cute? Her stupid bushy hair and know it all attitude irritated him. He had only been messing with her the other night, he wasn't flirting with her, was he? He gagged at the thought. Draco Malfoy…flirting with Hermione Granger? Disgusting… although, she had smelled very nice the other night. Fighting his conflicting thoughts, Draco headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

When he sat down, Blaise immediately began to question him, "So what's up with you and Granger?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Draco replied, nervously glancing up.

"Who're you trying to fool? I know you had a library date with her yesterday!"

"It was for a project! And nothing, absolutely nothing happened."

Blaise raised an eyebrow, "Oh really now?"

"Yes really, nothing happened."

"So sniffing each other and flirting doesn't count as anything."

Draco gasped, "You! You were spying on us!"

"As your best friend, it's my duty to know about these things."

"You nosy prat!"

"You're such a baby. Just tell me what happened."

"You were spying! You already know what happened!"

"But I was watching from far away! I couldn't hear you guys! Plus, I have no idea what's going on in your mind. So just tell me, do you have the hots for the Mudblood?"

Draco grimaced, "Ew. As if."

"Oh come on! I'm your best friend! You can tell me anything."

"You're acting like a girl."

"And you're acting like a man in denial."

"I am not in denial!"

"Ah see, that's the question at hand."

"I do not like Granger!"

"Are you sure about that?"

"Positive."

Blaise shook his head in disappointment, "I can't believe you."

"What is it now?"

"You're clearly infatuated with the girl and you can't even admit it to yourself. What're you afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid of anything. I'm not in love with her."

"You see this? You're in denial. A man in denial is not attractive at all."

"You're going feminine on me Blaise."

"What? I am not"

"Yes, you are. You're acting like a girl."

"You're changing the subject."

"No, I'm waiting for you to accept the fact although you look like a man, on the inside you're a woman."

"And I'm waiting for you to accept the fact that you are in love with Hermione Granger."

Draco scoffed, "Look, I don't know what kind of fantasies you've been having, but trust me there's nothing going on between me and Granger. Even if there is, it's completely one-sided on her part, I don't feel anything for her. Nothing at all."

Blaise groaned and left the table, irritated with his friend's incompetence. He had been hoping that Draco would be able to realize it on his own, but it looked like it would be necessary for him to step in and play matchmaker.

At the Gryffindor table, Hermione and Ginny sat with their heads close together.

"So what happened?" Ginny inquired, eager to know everything that had gone on.

"I'm telling you, nothing happened! I don't even know how you know about the library."

"Harry told me."

"Of course."

"Well what do you expect? I'm his girlfriend for crying out loud, he tells me everything."

"Except for our plans to save the world."

"Fuck you."

"Woah Ginny, I'm not sure that that's the correct way to be treating someone you want to get information out of."

"It doesn't matter, you know you'll tell me anyways. I'm your best friend, you've never not told me something."

Hermione groaned as she realized the truth in the statement, "Alright, alright. I'll tell you."

"Yay!"

"So we met in the library, and he was late of course and then we got into an argument, and then started acting really weird. He apologized for being rude and then he just stopped talking. We worked in complete silence for a few minutes and he didn't even attempt to insult me!"

"That's a record. Usually he insults you every five seconds."

"I know! That's why it was so weird. Anyways, it was creeping me out so I started to talk to him, you know about the project. And he didn't say anything, so I kind of just sat there, and then the wind started blowing, and I noticed that he smelled kind of…decent."

"Nice word choice."

"Oh shut up. Do you want to hear the rest or what?"

"Fine, fine. Continue."

"He noticed that I was smelling him, and then he asked me if he smelled good, and I told him he smelled delicious."

"Oh my god."

Hermione glared at her, and Ginny shut her mouth and nodded as though to tell her to continue on. "So then he started to tease me about it and he was kind of…I don't know… flirting with me. And then he told me I smelled like strawberries and then he licked his lips and said that he loved strawberries."

"That's hot."

"GINNY!"

"Alright no, that's extremely sexy."

"Your raging hormones disturb me."

"It's very normal to want to-"

"Oh god, shut up," Hermione interrupted.

Ginny stuck her tongue out, "Fine. Just tell me what you did."

"I ran away."

"You ran away? That's so lame. He was hitting on you and you ran away. I'm so disappointed right now, you have no idea."

"Well what else was I supposed to do?"

"You were supposed to stay there and let him do his thing."

"Ew no! It's Malfoy we're talking about, remember?"

"So? Don't tell me that you're not even the slightly attracted to him."

"I'm not."

"Liar."

Hermione sighed, "Ok. So yes, he's very attractive. And a part of me might've wanted him to kiss me. But…it's Malfoy!"

"So?"

"He's bullied me ever since I've met him. Why would I want a boy like that?"

"Why would you? Unless you've secretly had feelings for him this whole time and you like the attention you got when he bullied you."

"Don't go overanalyzing everything. You know I like…well liked…Ron. I'm still not completely over it ok?"

"You can do so much better than him."

"You're so mean to your brother."

"I can't help it if I'm the only attractive one in the family."

"Of course."

Ginny smiled, "Look, all I'm saying is that you should give Malfoy a chance. He might turn out to be a fairly decent catch. Better than my brother at least."

Hermione rolled her eyes before nodding in agreement, it was impossible trying to argue with Ginny when she had her mind made up. "Alright, I'll give it a shot."

**xxx**

**There you have it! Chapter 4 :) So I hope you guys liked it! Reviews would be greatly appreciated :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello everyone! I'm so sorry about not getting a new chapter up until now, I feel terrible about it. But I haven't really had the chance until recently. I hope you can forgive me, seeing as the chapter is up now :) Thanks again for all the lovely reviews and favorites and alerts and what not. I hope y'all like it!**

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Hermione awoke the next morning and began to get dressed. She pulled on a knee-length skirt and a baggy sweater over a white button shirt. When Ginny had finished dressing, she scanned her eyes over Hermione's outfit.

"Please tell me you're not going to wear that," Ginny said with a hint of disgust laden in her voice.

"Why not? It's what I always wear," Hermione replied, taken aback by her friend's comment.

"Exactly! It's so plain! How do you expect to seduce Malfoy looking like that?"

"What? Who said anything about trying to seduce him?"

"You did! Yesterday! You said you were going to give it a shot!"

"Yeah! A shot! As in I would give him a chance to woo me."

"Clearly you don't speak English. By giving it a shot that means you're going to attempt to win him over."

"You're the one who doesn't speak English, that is most definitely not what it means to give it a shot."

Ginny groaned, "Please, Hermione. You're 17 now, you really need to stop dressing like an old grandmother. I swear, even my grandma dresses better than you and she's 57!"

"I'm hurt Ginny, you're insulting the way I dress!"

"Oh stop being a baby! I'm insulting the way you dress because it needs to change! I mean, it's not like you don't have a nice body. You have absolutely nothing to hide."

"So you're suggesting that I go out with my boobs and butt hanging out."

"Yes!"

"Gross. That's like going out in nothing but my undergarments."

"Woah now, save that for the bedroom," Ginny winked.

"GINNY! Control your hormones! How can you be so sex-driven so early in the morning?"

"Are we having this conversation again?" Ginny sighed, exasperated.

"Yes."

"Look Hermione, we both know that by the time we finish arguing, I'm going to win and you're going to change that outfit of yours. So why don't we save ourselves some time and just skip to the end."

Hermione groaned because she knew it was true. Ginny always won. She was so damn pushy. "Fine. I'll shorten my dress a little bit, and I'll wear a tighter shirt, but that's it. Take it or leave it."

Ginny giggled triumphantly, "Ok! Let's get to work!"

The Great Hall was buzzing with noise as it always did before Hermione entered.

"Ginny," Hermione complained, "I can't go out there looking like this!"

"Too late. We're not going back. Look, if it makes you feel any better, I'll walk in with you."

Hermione sighed in defeat and took a deep breath before she walked in.

The doors to the Great Hall swung open and revealed the two girls standing there. Slowly, a gasp began to spread throughout the entire Hall. Muffled whispers transferred from table to table as Hermione made her way to her seat.

Harry raised his eyebrows when Hermione sat down, "Wow 'Mione, you look different. In a good way," he added hurriedly.

"See I told you, you look good!" Ginny exclaimed, slipping an arm around her boyfriend's waist.

Hermione blushed and kept her head down. Ron openly stared, his jaw hanging down.

"Gee Hermione, you look…" Ron began before trailing off.

Fred and George approached her and gave her an appraising look.

"What our dear brother means to say," Fred began.

"Is that you look amazing." George finished.

"Beautiful,"

"Stunning,"

"Hot,"

"Sexy."

Fred and George each took turns saying a different words to describe her new look.

"I mean, who knew you were hiding all that under your baggy clothes?" George said suggestively, waggling his eyebrows.

Hermione blushed even further and continued eating after muttering a small "thanks."

On the other side of the Great Hall, all the boys from the Slytherin table stared at Hermione, drool trailing out of their mouths.

"Damn, she looks hot," Blaise said, his eyes filled with lust.

Draco didn't say anything, as he was still in shock. He had woken up with a feeling that today was going to be different, but he hadn't expected it to be quite this different. Abandoning her usual attire of a baggy sweater and a knee-length skirt, Hermione had walked in wearing a her skirt at the length of a miniskirt, a tight blouse with a few of the buttons undone, and she had her tie and cloak draped casually upon her body.

"I'd tap that," Goyle said.

Mhmm, Draco thought to himself in agreement. Merlin, he thought catching himself, Blaise is getting to me. But he was feeling something more than lust. Draco found an urge to want to cover her up, to keep anyone else from seeing her. In his heart, he didn't want anyone else to want her, otherwise he would be overcome with jealousy. He didn't want anyone else to realize how beautiful she was, although he had known it all along. He was content with her baggy clothes, because it kept all the others from realizing how beautiful she truly was. It kept away his competition. He wanted her for himself. Sadly, Draco's mind had trouble accepting what his heart had already chosen, and known. His heart knew who he loved, but his mind was still lost as it searched for the answer.

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**So there you have it! Reviews would be greatly appreciated! :) And once again, thank you for reading and I hope you liked it! :D**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello again my lovely readers! :) Sorry, this chapter's a little short, but I have a feeling that y'all will like it...at least I hope you'll like it :) Read on!**

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Blaise paced back and forth, nervously chewing on his fingernails. Was it really a good idea for him to be playing matchmaker? Draco would kill him if he found out what he was doing. But then again, if something good came of it, he would be grateful for his actions.

Still lost in thought, he heard a set of footsteps coming down the hallway. It was Draco and Hermione. Loudly, they argued over ideas for their potions project, neither one noticed Blaise standing in front of them. "Petrificus Totalus!" He shouted, pointing his wand at them. They both froze, a look of pure shock stuck on their faces. Quickly, he grabbed the two and shoved them into the nearest broom closet. "Have fun!" he smiled devilishly. He shut the door and performed a series of locking charms on the door, and silenced the room so that they could have privacy. He was about to leave when he remembered that they were still petrified. "Finite Incantatem," he chanted before leaving.

The minute the charm had been taken off, Draco stood and reached for the doorknob. "Damn it!" he cried, whirling around to face her, "He locked the door!"

Hermione opened her mouth to say the spells necessary for unlocking the door, but found herself at a loss for words when she became conscious of how close he was standing.

Silence settle over them as they both realized exactly how close they were. They both stood only half a foot away from each other.

Hermione felt her heart begin to thump louder and louder.

"Well," Draco said, a smirk creeping on to his face, "I guess we'll just have to wait until someone comes to free us from this closet." He stepped closer to her and she could feel his breath wash over her. "Until then, I say we spend our time getting to know each other."

She could feel herself grow uneasy and her breathing hitched. "I don't know what you're playing at Malfoy, but I'm not in the mood for any of your games," she retorted uncertainly.

"What're you talking about?" he replied, feigning innocence.

"Look, I realize that you're a teenage boy and you have raging hormones, but I will not do anything with you."

He laughed, "Getting cocky now are we? As if I would do that sort of thing with a Mudblood like you."

She glared, "We both know that you don't care about the whole mudblood and pureblood shit, so just drop the act."

"How would you know that?" She raised an eyebrow and he sighed, "Fine. I don't care. That doesn't mean that I would want to do anything with you though."

"You sure about that? You were very willing to kiss me the other night in the library."

"I was just messing with you."

"Actually, Malfoy, I'm pretty sure that's called flirting."

"I was not flirting!"

"Yes you were! Just admit it. You were flirting with me."

Draco sighed, "Ok. Fine. So maybe I was flirting. It's not my fault, it was late at night and I wasn't thinking straight. Other than that I have absolutely no feelings for you."

She stepped up to him, leaving absolutely no space left in between them. He could feel her chest rise and fall when she took a breath. "You sure about that….Draco?" she smirked. The sound of her voice saying his first name made a wire in his brain go off.

"Ok. So I'm slightly attracted to you. Just a little," he looked down into her warm brown eyes, "Ok. A lot."

"Never thought I'd hear that coming from you, after 7 straight years of pure insults thrown my way."

"How else was I supposed to get your attention?" Draco gasped, surprised at his confession. He was confessing to things he hadn't realized he felt.

"Oh," Hermione began to blush, surprised that he felt that way towards her, "You've liked me this whole time?"

"How could I not? You're beautiful, on the inside and the outside." Draco could feel himself coming apart, he needed to find a way to keep his mouth shut. He knew that somewhere in the back of his mind, he had always known, but he hadn't been prepared to spill it all out when he had only just come to terms with it in his own heart.

"You really think so?"

"Yes." Hermione remained silent and he wished he could take it all back. "Look, uh, just forget it."

"Why would I do that?" she could feel her Gryffindor bravery building up inside of her and she reached up for his face. She caressed his cheek and took a leap toward the unknown. "You know, I like you too," and then she reached up and kissed him. On the cheek mind you, she still hadn't had her first kiss and wasn't positive she wanted it to be with Draco.

Draco could feel a blush spreading over his cheeks. He had come into the closet with the intention of embarrassing her, but found something greater. Although it had been unplanned, and unexpected, he was happy it had happened all the same.

Hermione smiled up at him and said, "Although, our time together in this closet has been lovely, I must be getting to my next class." She then chanted a series of spells and opened the door.

"You knew all this time how to get out of here and you didn't do anything about it? I knew you wanted me."

"Hypocrite, you knew how to get out and you didn't do anything about it either. Clearly, you wanted me too," She winked and walked off, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

**xxx**

**So there you have it! I hope y'all liked it :) I will post the next chapter ASAP. Until next time :)**

**Oh yes, also, I realize that my story is slightly suggestive, so being that this is my first story, I was wondering if this should be rated T or M...If y'all could let me know that'd be great :)  
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	7. Chapter 7

**Hello my lovely readers! I'm terribly sorry for not updating until now. School just started, so I've been a little busy. So to make up for it, I tried to make this chapter longer than usual. I would also like to say that I am keeping this story rated T because I'm not planning on writing any of that sexual stuff. I'm really glad you guys liked the last chapter, I wasn't sure about it at first, and I had actually planned on deleting it and starting over, but by the time I decided to replace it, I saw that many of you had already read it and liked it. So once again, thank you for reading, and here is the next chapter! :)**

**xxx**

That night, Blaise sat in the Slytherin common room, awaiting Draco's return. Hopefully, all had gone well and his life wouldn't end today.

The door opened slowly and revealed his best friend who had a look of complete happiness written upon his face. Blaise let out a sigh of relief, he wouldn't be dying today. "So, I take it everything went well?" he said, a smug look on his face.

"Yes," Draco said, suddenly aware that he had company, "yes, everything went well."

"Well, why're you just standing there? Aren't you going to tell me what happened?"

Draco blushed, something he had never done before, at least not in public. Earlier that day had been the first time he had blushed in front of anyone, and thankfully it had just been Hermione. He sat down slowly, and recounted the story to his friend. When he had finished, he looked at his friend and was surprised to see a smirk planted on his face. "What? What's with the face?"

"What're you talking about? This is how my face always looks."

Draco narrowed his eyes, "No…what's with the smirk?"

"Oh…nothing."

Quickly he whipped his wand out and pointed it at Blaise, feelings of happiness now swept away with suspicion. "Tell me, right now, or I will hex your balls off."

Blaise instinctively covered his crotch area, "Hey! Now is that any way to be treating the man who set you up?"

"No," but he did not lower his wand, "But you look guilty. What'd you do to me?"

"All I did was slip a little something into your drink at dinner. Calm your tits."

"I DON'T HAVE TITS."

"It's just an American saying, Draco. It means 'Calm the fuck down.'"

"I'll calm down when you tell me what you did."

"It was just a potion."

"What kind of potion?"

"It's a new one, I found it in this book," he gestured to the potions textbook, "There's actually some pretty cool stuff in here. Like…potions and stuff."

"No duh smartass, it's a potions textbook."

Blaise scowled, "Whatever. Look, do you want me to tell you what it was or not?"

"Yes. Tell me. Now."

"Ok, so it's like Veritaserum, with a twist."

"What's the twist?"

"Instead of saying nothing but the truth, you only have to tell the truth after you say a lie."

"So that's why I said all that stuff to Granger…"

"Well how else was I going to get you to confess? You're so stupid. You can't even admit your own feelings to yourself. It was so obvious, but no, you're so dull you can't even see it. If I hadn't slipped you the potion, you would've ended up pissing her off again. Honestly, your flirting skills need some help."

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm the most wanted boy in Hogwarts."

"What I mean, is that you can flirt with every single girl, but when it comes to the one you actually like, you become a blubbering idiot."

"Gee thanks Blaise, such a lovely compliment," Draco sarcastically replied.

"What're friends for?" he answered with a wink.

In the Gryffindor common Ginny and Hermione sat closely together discussing the evening's events.

"I don't know about all this," Hermione began after she had finished telling Ginny the story, "It's so much to take in. I've got this terrible feeling that all he's feeling is lust…"

"Of course not! Why would you think that?"

"Think about it Ginny! He confessed his love to me the same day I started wearing more revealing clothes. I don't think it's a coincidence."

"Oh. I get it now. Well then tomorrow, just wear your normal clothes, and see if he's still attracted to you. Which by the way, I am certain that he will be."

Hermione nodded in agreement and they both set off for the dorms, eagerly awaiting the following day.

The next morning, Hermione dressed even more grotesque than usual. She refused to comb her hair and wore a sweater that was two sizes too big, and allowed her skirt to droop down to her ankles; she was a horrendous sight indeed. When she descended the staircase into the common room, she saw her friends jump a full foot in the air in surprise. Ron look revolted, and Harry sat there looking stunned. Ginny on the other hand look so angry that Hermione could've sworn she saw steam pouring out of her ears.

"What the bloody hell are you wearing?" She shouted, her face turning red, "Are you trying to scare him away?"

"No, of course not. I'm just dressing as I would normally. I thought we agreed on this."

"We agreed that you would dress the way you normally would! We did NOT say anything about you dressing up like a saggy blob. You don't even look like a girl!"

"Awww, so sweet," Hermione muttered, scowling at her best friend.

"I'm sorry. I get why you're trying to do this; I just think you're going a little overboard. But, if that's really what you want to do, then I guess I'll have to support you. But promise me that this is only a one-time thing. I don't think I could stand being seen with you if you look like that every day."

"Promise."

The two of them linked arms and they headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

Every time Draco heard the door to the Great Hall opening, his head would snap up and he would search the doorway for Hermione. When she finally arrived, he was shocked to see her dressed in an oversized sweater and ankle-length skirt. He could hear groans coming from the boys seated around him as they took in her appearance, he could tell that they were all disappointed in the lack of skin that showed. He, on the other hand, was perfectly fine with the way she looked because it kept his competition away.

When they had finished eating, he approached her in the hallway, "Hello Hermione," he said.

Shocked, she turned and looked at him, "Are you talking to me?"

"Err, yes…why wouldn't I be?"

"But, don't I repulse you? I mean look at me! My hair is a mess and I've covered up every bit of my skin."

"Well I think you're beautiful."

She blushed, "You really think so?"

"Yes. Even with your uncombed hair and baggy clothes, you look beautiful; although I didn't mind your outfit choice yesterday. But when you dress less revealing it keeps the other boys' grubby paws away from you."

"So you actually like me? Even though I look like a total mess right now?"

"Do you really need me to answer again? I've said it twice already and people are starting to look at me funny. Imagine! Me, Draco Malfoy, actually calling Hermione Granger beautiful! I'm sure it's a sight to see. But I do have a status to uphold and I would not like to throw it all down the drain in one morning, so don't make me say it again."

"Alright," she said, content with his answer.

"Well, I really must be going. I just recently came to terms with my feelings for you, so I'm not exactly ready to tell the world just yet. I'm not really used to being so…so lovey dovey and all that stuff, so don't expect too much. I will try my best though."

"And that's good enough for me," Hermione said with a smile and she watched as he turned and returned to his shocked group of friends. Seeing her and Draco actually having a nice conversation must've been quite the surprise. She turned and looked at her friends to see their reaction. Ginny, of course, had a smug look plastered onto her face. Harry and Ron though, looked as though they had just had a heart attack. As it was, her heart was racing at the speed of a racecar, seeming as though it would burst at any moment.

**xxx**

**I hope you guys liked it! Review and let me know what you think! I'll update ASAP! Until next time :)**


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